When Batman Turned Into The Hulk, He Became A Crazed Moron

When Bruce Wayne became Batman, he became one of the most formidable fighters in the DC Comics Universe. Even so, the hero has never been as strong as he was when he turned into the Hulk, despite becoming a crazed moron in the process. Batman’s arch enemy, the Joker, is known for utilizing his own uniquely manufactured laughing gas to reign terror upon Batman and Gotham City. One of the Joker’s chemical toxins did more than just make Batman laugh, however, turning the Caped Crusader into his own version of the Hulk. 

In The Brave and the Bold #68 by Bob Haney and Mike Sekowsky, the Joker had teamed up with the Riddler and the Penguin to pull off a series of heists. As Batman jumps into action to stop them, he becomes the key to their villainous success. While driving in his Batmobile, Batman discovers that the Joker planted a new version of his laughing gas inside. Before Batman can do anything to stop the impact of the gas, he crashes the Batmobile and breathes in all of the toxins, toxins which not only made Batman burst into insane laughter, but also changed his physical form into something much more hulking. 

The Joker’s laughing gas transformed Batman into Bat-Hulk, a super-sized buff version of his former self. The metamorphosis from normal human to larger than life superhuman that Batman goes through when transforming into Bat-Hulk is the same one fans originally saw with Bruce Banner and his transformation into the Hulk. Another similarity between Hulk and Bat-Hulk is when Batman becomes Bat-Hulk, his intelligence drops significantly. More specifically, Batman becomes a crazed moron when he transforms into Bat-Hulk which is part of the Joker’s diabolical plan to use Bat-Hulk’s strength and stupidity to rob a number of high-profile targets. 

Along with having the same size and strength as the Hulk, Bat-Hulk was also equipped with the power to melt whatever he touched as well as the power to throw red-hot plasma balls he created from his hands. That added ability is a bit of a deviation from the power set of the Incredible Hulk, which makes Batman’s version more unique and less of a spoof knock-off of the Marvel Comics character. That said, the name, “Bat-Hulk” is still an unsubtle reference to the Avenger. 

Even though Bat-Hulk is similar to the Hulk in terms of size, strength, and intelligence, he still proves to be a cheap knock-off even with the notable difference in fire power. When Batman Hulks out, he immediately devolves into a villain, whereas the Hulk is able to control himself enough to be a part of the Avengers. The Hulk is a hero despite being a rage-monster, whereas Batman loses his heroism when he becomes the Hulk, and turns into a crazed moron.

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